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Athletic activity did not increase early disc degeneration or herniation risk in adolescents

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PHILADELPHIA — Athletic activity did not put adolescents at an increased risk of developing disc degeneration or disc herniation, according to a speaker here.

Greg Schroeder, MD, presented the findings of a retrospective, randomized, blinded review at the Philadelphia Spine Research Symposium. Schroeder and colleagues reviewed the medical records of adolescent patients from a single institution between 2004 and 2012 in an attempt to discover whether intense athletic participation had an effect on structural lumbar abnormalities.

The patients were divided into two groups, athletes and non-athletes, with athletes defined as individuals who participated in sports 5 days per week, 20 hours per week or who were on a varsity team. The study included 66 athletes and 48 non-athletes.

Lumbar radiographs and MRIs of each patient were reviewed by two authors, according to Schroeder. Each lumbar level was assigned a Pfirrmann grade and evaluated for a herniated disc and/or a pars fracture.

Study results showed the overall prevalence of lumbar spine pathology in symptomatic patients was about 55%, Schroeder said.

“However, the rate of spondylosis was significant higher — 32% in the athletes, compared with 2% in the non-athletes. This led to a statistically significant increase in the risk of any lumbar pathology in the athletes compared with the non-athletes,” he said.

This was the first study to systematically evaluated disc degeneration and disc herniation, according to Schroeder.

Although athletic activity did not put athletes at an increased risk for disc degeneration or herniation compared with non-athletes, athletic activity did put individuals at an increased risk of spondylosis, which is independent of pelvic parameters, he said.

Reference:

Schroeder G. The role of intense athletic activity on structural lumbar abnormalities in adolescent patients with symptomatic low back pain. Presented at: Philadelphia Spine Research Symposium; Oct. 28, 2014; Philadelphia.

Disclosure: Schroeder has no relevant financial disclosures.